Eye of Heaven
by BlueMageOne
Summary: Shiho the songmaiden tries to find renewed hope and love as her world of darkness is about to come to an end in Valhalla.
1. Thy days are numbered

My mouth opens to deliver the fatal, constricting poison sung to halt enemy advances, but I cannot sing.

They are ebbing through the deserted streets like waves quietly creeping towards the sand, hauling handfuls of sediment back into their watery tombs.

But I cannot sing.

It stops dead on my tongue.

My throat is throbbing from the power that has previously emanated from my lips. My ears are twitching from the sudden onslaught of the carnage sweeping through my Hai Lan.

Is this what death sounds like?

Is this what I have sung for?

Is this what I have been oblivious to, as my voice washed away their last words of life and existence?

I cannot sing.

The air is rife with a sudden shift of mentalities- the stillness is menacing and leering, and it is broken by renewed vigour and thirst for destruction.

Hai-Lan shudders in its entirety and I feel its presence sweep past me in horror as it retreats.

But I cannot sing.


	2. Desire respite from thy empty existence

The soldiers spread all around me like wild fire; they are insects, scattering about with no particular destination in mind. Their objective and purpose in life has been stamped out and now they crawl away in madness.

_"I didn't say to stop singing! Sing!"_

My feet are frozen to the platform I stand on. I cannot avoid their fury.

My head snaps back as his hand connects with my cheek.

The stinging floods through my face and down to my toes which have been released from the death stance.

My limbs shake and I hear the obscenities sputtering from his mouth. They blow through my hair and hover around me. There is nothing but contempt and disgust, but I am freefalling away from him.

_"I said to sing! Sing, woman!"_

…….

_"If you gave up singing, what would you desire?"_

_"Death,"_

……..

_"That woman has led many of your compatriots to their deaths…"_

…….

"You have been blessed with the gift of harmony and enchanting melodies known only to the gods,"

Divine power radiating from this higher being…

"Such power coursing through the body of a delicate and nimble warrior…you hide it well, song maiden,"

I…I am a warrior?

I can feel her step closer to me, the sound of her battle skirt flowing to-and-fro, in a path of wind that is not there.

Two eyes of light, unearthly light, peering into my soul…

"One does not have to bloody their hands to affirm their title in war. Your voice is as swift as any broadsword and a thousand times more treacherous. Such a perilous weapon was meant to be wielded for the gods…"

My voice…it leads so many others to suffering.

To Nifleheim.

"The men who succumb to your muddling songs do so because the course of their destiny was meant to be ceased the moment they engaged your warriors in battle. They do not end up in the presence of the Queen of the Underworld, unless they forsake the Almighty Father Odin,"

I send men to their graves. I feel their life force being sucked into my pores as a sword is raised and buried into their flesh.

I am the one who holds the sword.

"You are merely the hand who helps guide the blade. You do not perform the striking blow, song maiden. Henceforth, you shall walk among the divine forces and assist Odin's Einherjar in their battle against the Vanir,"

But I cannot sing…

Her divinity is so bright, my darkness is interrupted with momentary, fleeting flashes of the holy fire that burns so strongly within her soul.

I detect a smile.

"Let us go,"


	3. Harmoniums of Asgard sound

The valkyrie has left me.

I walk in the presence of the Aesir, and I hear their exhales as I am escorted past them. It is like a sharp, sudden gale sweeping softly against my skin, and then it is gone as they look away and forget me. Child-like sighs, if only for a moment.

My feet are as bare as the day I was taken from Midgard. I tread silently behind them, taking comfort in the smooth rock beneath me. It is not rough, but welcoming. My toes get caught in the intricate grooves embedded in its surface. This path I walk; it is sacred.

The Gods are so beautiful in Asgard. Never have souls burned so brightly before me, flickering endlessly and forever moving. It is like a thick wisp of churning, coloured smoke, spiralling up from the darkness and heightening in glory and light and then just as suddenly as it rises up, the colours mix and spin and disappear again. It is a never-ending process.

Yes... a process, indeed.

The core of the flames is the most divine and brilliant; my eyes weak from two decades of darkness cannot gaze upon them for more than an instant. Their personas, their spirits and their blessed powers are housed in that core and it is a dance solely for me to observe. My body yearns to burn and twist like that, but a mortal such as I cannot give off a light as elegant and strong as theirs.

This one before me, the flames shudder and ripple almost too fast for me to detect. It's colour is so different from the shades of grey that I so commonly observed in the people of Hai-Lan. It is breath taking and overwhelming and I suck in the divine air of this place and know that my hollowed eyes are glistening with moisture at the figure that received me when the valkyrie sent me to be used by her mistress.

"Welcome to Folkvang, song-maiden, Shiho,"

Her voice is radiant and commanding. It sharpens my senses and allows me to take in every fibre of her being that she wishes to project to me.

I fall to the ground and the rock meets my knees with a clatter. Such pain coursing through my body is not enough to behold and understand the enigma that so kindly chooses to speak my name. I canvas the surface before me and spread my fingers into the delicate embroidery carved within the stone path. Its lines lead me towards that brilliant light and I pull myself towards it in awe. My body quivers and relaxes as I inch closer and bow my head with uncontrollable sobs.

"You have no need to shed tears for me, song maiden," the voice wraps around my body and comforts me and I feel a wave of shame and embarrassment wash over me.

"You…" I try to say but the words die in my throat.

"Yes…it is I. Your Saviour and your Queen. You will never feel alone and burdened with the foul stench of death from this moment on,"

My skin crawls with pleasure and relief as her gentle, soothing fingertips wind themselves through my hair and down to my face.

"I am not worthy to walk among you!" I cry, whipping my face away and observing the pale, greyed souls standing around her. They are merely subordinates with no important name or face that I will be told to remember.

There is only her.

Freya.

Have I offended you?

I tore my face away from your touch…

I expect your light to flare up and consume me in hatred, for what I've done!

"You think of me a cruel and swift goddess. You must rid yourself of these false assumptions and impressions. Rise, Shiho, for the greatest life that you have always wished for, will be found by my side…" She says, and her fingertips dab at the tears escaping from those eyes and they find their way to my cheek, unmoving.

"I want to find it with you," I croak, my body wracked with sobs and shudders. I lift my hand and press it to my quivering lips, hoping to trap the sniffles and sighs emanating from there.

Her essence slows for one moment and fills me with a comforting sense of kindness and love.

_Do not worry about that_ she is saying to me. I press my hand to hers and use it to pull myself from her feet, if only to turn her beautiful face upwards again so her acquaintances do not have to see her so downcast as she laughs to me.

"I see that you have been taken through the trials and nests of the undead by Lenneth. There is no need for you to step foot on the Vigrid Plains so soon, Shiho. A much more divine and prosperous salvation and destiny awaits you here…"

Oh, the goddess Freya…

"…in the realm of the Gods…"


	4. Melodies stir the ancient lightning

There is no silence in Fólkvangr.

Everywhere, there is softness and purity and the air is rich with vibrant songs of other song maidens, far away from me. It basks my skin and nurtures my spirit, which I feel has been broken from the moment the samurai's blade pierced my flesh.

No…

It was before then, wasn't it?

I am here because I send men to their deaths!

I am no better, no more glorious than he who has littered my homeland with the bodies of my townspeople.

I have sung for death, for bravado.

Not for honour or mercy.

"Is this why I stand here, Freya? Is this why I was given to you?" I wail.

I am weeping out loud, in an empty room. My cries carry on the faraway melodies which are drifting to where I stand. They don't sound like me…

"I want to be with the valkyrie," I say, and then rake my fingers down the flesh of my cheeks.

How, how could I ever spit in the face of the goddess who has extended her gracious invitation to me? She beckoned me to her home and here I stand and curse her!

But I am still alone. No one has heard.

My cries end and break in my throat. I am suddenly concentrating on the songs floating through the air. My fingertips are pressing hard against my face and I walk forward impulsively and stop.

"Is this the way it shall be? Doomed to an eternity in heaven where my voice is mocked by those whose souls are not tarnished with the intent of murder?"

They sing and they sing and they sing.

"The melodious throbbing of life's sacred rhythms…"

I sink to my knees and defeat as my hands fall forward. I stretch my fingers and turn my palms upwards. They feel frail and weak. Too weak to wield a sword.

Is it why I was destined to sing?

No…

Singing is not about killing.

It never was!

But somehow, I was raised to think that. To think that my songs, my voice could bring harmony and prosperity to my home without the bloodshed.

I did end up spilling blood, did I not? I am just as guilty as those who plunged their weapons into their enemies bodies.

How come I just…

…did not see it?

I leap to my feet and push my hands in front of me.

"Who goes there!"

There is footsteps. A kind, gentle soul walking towards me. It is pale and grey but gives off great gusts of smoke and energy.

I am intrigued.

"You need not be afraid," it says.

A girl?

Now there is laughter coming from the figure and it steps closer to me.

Their presence is…casual. It is not commanding and I relax my shoulders believing it does not desire anything from me.

"You are mistaken, but that is alright,"

I feel a deep flush rising to my cheeks and I realize the voice is too husky to be that of a girl. Nonetheless, the essence and the way he speaks sounds like that of two genders.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think anyone would come here," I offer feebly.

"Freya's lands are open to any kind soul. However, only those fill her heart with warmth and proud ness are allowed to reside here,"

He stops, just a few steps away. There is joy and friendliness in his soul and I know that he is smiling at me. My lips turn upwards in return.

"I didn't know that my life was so valuable to even one," I return, drawing my arms against my chest and clasping my hands together. He does not stop looking and I turn away, embarrassed. Now, his shade is gone and I see darkness again.

"Freya has love for all those who are slain on the battlefield. But," his voice is so warm and inviting, "she is more partial to those who take a special interest in the beauty of life. The arts, you could say,"

"Then I don't belong here," I whisper.

"Yes, Shiho…" and he walks up to me and I hear his clothes ruffling as he does so, "you do,"

His hands have been on my quivering shoulders and now they move down my arms and across my breast. Soft hair brushes against my neck and my body weakens in delight from the embrace.

Are you going to be my companion?

Will you stay with me now?

_I will stay with you until you have found what you are looking for._

Do you promise?

_I promise._

And still, they sing…


	5. Accept the benedictions of beauty

I have not seen Freya since my arrival, but it is okay. I have adjusted somewhat to her lands, although I hear that the halls where Odin resides, is even greater.

I cannot imagine that for I am fast falling in love with Fólkvangr.

The perfumed air, its lazy, warm breezes and yes, even its haunting, calming melodies have captured my heart somewhat.

The beauty of her world makes the transition of life to death very wondrous and inspiring. The fire of music is waiting to be rekindled within me…but I still feel very lost and very quiet.

There have been no more battles for me since I left the side of the valkyrie. I followed her into the deepest pits of hell and assisted in the cleansing of the undead.

Mechanically.

Without hesitation.

Is it now that I am just experiencing life?

Was I dead all along?

I feel a bird resting on my shoulder. It sings for me now, whispering all the morning's sights and sounds to me, with a little flutter of its wings. And then it leaves me again and I feel a pang of loneliness.

But if I am to learn one thing in the heavens, it is to know that I am never alone.

"Shiho, you are fast becoming a sun maiden, rather than one of song,"

It is Hakon.

He comes to me everyday now, and he talks to me. Sometimes I am flustered because I feel that his words are laced with sympathy but I try not to think this. No one else speaks my name in Fólkvangr.

"It is because I have not been told to acquaint myself with things like breastplates and gauntlets," I explain to him quietly, slipping my fingers through the silken grass all around me.

"You won't need to," he replies, and I hear him sit himself beside me. I am more acutely aware of his warmth, than of his essence.

"But then why did the valkyrie send me here? What purpose do I have?"

"You have purpose. You just haven't found it yet," he says, and he is not still.

"Is this for what Asgard exists for? To guide mortals along their own path of righteousness?" I ask, and am startled when I realize he has reached forth for a butterfly and nimbly sets it down into my hand.

"It feels like…you have pressed your face into my palm and you are fluttering your eyelashes," I laugh softly to him, and he does to. Happiness radiates from his core and sets me at ease again.

"Not quite, butterfly," he says to me, as the creature takes to flight, "Odin needs every one of his Einherjar to be ready for the twilight of the gods. In this very moment, Shiho, you are not ready to stand in the apocalypse. You are not ready to even face the demons within yourself. If you cannot confront them internally, how must we expect you to pledge your allegiance to the Aesir in the upcoming battle?"

I let my face drop and imagine the infinitesimal blades of grass rippling in the wind before me. I hear them rustle and provide me with a sense of well-being.

"I have no demons!" I gasp suddenly, and I wish he wasn't so intrusive.

"If that is your way of proving to Odin that you are capable of leading his men into battle, then you will surely perish before long," Hakon murmurs to me slowly. His voice has darkened and I detect that his eyes have narrowed and taken him to a place far behind the place where we sit.

"But…I have not proved anything yet. And I'm afraid of doing so,"

"Is this the song maiden that sent her soldiers into a frenzy for war?"

I open my mouth to speak, but shrink back. I feel my clothes brush against his and I pull myself away from him in grievance, bowing my head to the grass and concentrating on its touch.

"It is called a moment of clarity. Once you experience it and live in that moment it is just…so unbelievably difficult to regress back to the person you once were," I murmur, feeling my eyes glisten once more. I imagine the tears to be dripping straight out of my eyes as I thrust my face close to the ground and lay there, studying the grass in my fingertips.

"I understand," Hakon answers, unmoving. The rustle of his clothes suggests to me that he is leaning forward. I hear a slight tear and know that he has a handful of grass in his palm, like I do.

I sift my fingers in and among the blades and search for the dirt underneath. It is damp from the gentle, misting dew that bleeds out of the ground every warm morning here. The grass is soft and makes my very skin tingle and I enjoy rubbing fistfuls of sediment and grime against my fingertips.

"You know, you can revisit the woman you once were, without having to regress," he mentions off hand, and I slowly release my hands and let my upper body fall forward so that I may rest my face on my arms and sigh.

"I don't think I am able to do that," I whisper to myself.

"Just try to, Shiho, please,"

His hand is gently pressed against my shoulder and I let him slowly pull me up like that, until I am leaning against him and thrusting the back of one hand against my lips, which have begun to quiver. The familiar crease in my brows and the tears leaking out again have once more, invoke a slight, ebbing pain in my temples and tired eyes.

"Why must I live through the horror of revisiting my songs? My songs which have been the foundation for so much death…why must I go through such a cruel, bloody period in my life that led up to such a short moment of understanding and shocked realization? Why did my youth drown in a never ending war when that one moment was so…so quick?" I sob to him, sliding my hand up along my face to shield my deadened, crying eyes in shame.

"All the death and blood in the world is worth that one, short moment…" is my reply, and I slowly sink against his welcoming shoulder, my chest heaving and my breaths coming in shuddering, quick gasps.

"…if it means only to correct the way we lived before…"

Is that really it?

_Yes, Shiho. You know there is a path to redemption._

Redemption…

_It just isn't yours to walk._

My path...

_Will become clear. Tell me your story._


	6. The Red Samurai

_In war, there is both purity and filth._

_Those attributes aren't so easily applied to one opponent or side against the other, but rather, most often reside in individuals with much deeper and unknown intentions in mind. It doesn't matter whom they fight for. Or what._

_There is a beast overlooking the village, dull eyes masked but peering out beyond its disguise; they are two unearthly, but penetrating lights that gaze upon the stillness and future calamity that may ensue before it._

_For now, it sees only darkness. But if the sun rises, will that be expected to change?_

_No._

_The lights flicker, as if some sentient being living behind the horrific face has contemplated the scene before him in sadness. Then, the hulking figure slowly turns its face away and for an instant, the sound of bones rattling and grinding can be heard serenading its clumsy and muddled movements._

_It is only armor. But it is enough to make the hidden villagers watching him shrink back in terror. A sharp, ghostly exhale is heard escaping from its lips._

_A sigh?_

_It retreats back into the shelter of the trees. The shadows swallow its body whole._

"I was beaten when I spared the village the sound of my voice,"

"The enemy troops were there when you stopped singing?"

"No…this was my general. He kept pleading with me. He was so angry,"

"…that is sad, Shiho. I cannot imagine what would have happened if you were in line of enemy fire,"

"It isn't like you think. They did not suddenly rush up and run me through. They were…a bit further away. But I could hear them. Their confusion and impending…hope for victory, I guess it was,"

"And what happened?"

"I was left there, on my platform. They had no more use for me. They never had _a particular use _for me. I was just there to perform their songs of death. Of frenzy. When I failed to do my duty and the one thing that kept me alive-"

"They would have killed you if you did not sing before?"

"No…it kept me alive because I had nothing else. It was as if my voice…was my only reason for living. My only sense. I felt and saw things I could never imagine before without singing. It took me to so many places I never would have gone had it not been for that,"

"And this kind of song...It was more than just sending your allies off into battle, was it not?"

"Yes…to them, it was a battle cry. But to me it was…it was a brush with death. And death isn't so frightening to me. It never was. I knew without my voice, I could never live. And so I spent so much time thinking about the way it could have been. It was almost beautiful…"

_The sun cannot penetrate through the looming clouds of despair. The village has to make its own special kind of light; the kind that is generated within. But there is no thought of light from a people whose homes are riding the invisible barrier separating them from a foreign, aggressive invader._

_Their faces aren't human. They hide beneath a wall of clay, moulded into a grotesque, hellish expression. The villagers call them Helheim's foot soldiers, but to the creatures themselves, it is a safe zone, designed as a scare tactic to protect them from any sort of unmasked empathy._

_It must not be shown at all cost. A face cannot resonate with kindness and even a bit of understanding. Not towards any enemy, however deserving they may be._

_Their armor is a bold crimson, a far cry from the greenish-brown hues of the outer settlement's war gear, and a stark contrast to that of Hai-Lan's pale-clothed samurai. It bleeds danger and is a visible, arrogant stand of confidence- the creatures have no need to hide themselves amongst the sea, the foliage. _

_They are seen coming in a wave of terror, and fade into oblivion only when the blood begins to spill. _

_They are unseen in their victorious aftermath._

_They are Children of Blood._

_Obey only to fight._

_But is that really it?_

_Underneath that red and skeleton masks, the beast and the unknown are exposed and wither away; creeping back into the darkened corners of an unsuspecting villager's imagination and the Man is seen instead._

_There is no creature._

"Their essences were so different from the people I lived with. They were alive…with a sense of justice. They weren't monsters, but real flesh and blood. Their hearts beat to a different harmony; that's all. Our right was their wrong. Or maybe they had a much bigger ulterior motive in mind…"

"Death does not ring true as an 'ulterior motive' to me, Shiho. More like a fiendish spiral into the barbaric ways of old,"

"Whatever they wanted…could not be had or enjoyed without killing. And we raised arms against them because they could not take what was ours,"

"Your freedom? Salvation? Independence?"

"I'm afraid that you are teasing me and really know the answer. Our spirit…"

"The enemy wanting your spirit?"

"Essentially, yes. They wanted to break us. They wanted to see if they could walk on our earth, and for awhile they did. But not without trivial, foolish, _mortal _demands! You know how we are…"

"Indeed, I do. There does not have to be any meaning behind the act of 'taking'. The objective is just, whatever objective will form inside the mind of an individual. And soon, that objective, no matter how different it is to one beside him, will grow and grow and become collective. That is how you have many men fighting for so many different things, but uniting under one blood, one colour, one oath,"

"…sometimes,"

"What do you say?"

"Only sometimes. For even if one man in an army, thinks differently, he is still a man no matter how much he is obscured by his allies. And if he wants, he can be heard,"

"Your tone is changing suddenly,"

"It becomes clear to me as I say it…and I begin to understand…"

"What do you understand?"

"That redemption walked with those soldiers, the ones that invaded my part of Hai-Lan,"

"Redemption?"

"Yes. In the form of a man. In the colour of blood,"

_His hands trembled, chaffing against his ears as he struggles to keep his arms wrapped tightly around his head._

_The intelligence wasn't totally wrong. The moment they rushed in, the villagers fled. But too many figures still loomed in their houses, leering at them in the streets. _

_Too many wanted to raise arms._

_Too many had the ability to do so._

_The air was so heavy with muddled, melodic chants that the creature was still doubled over in frustration and penance, dancing a clumsy dance of weakness and fury, when the shrieking stopped._

_He didn't want to hear her war cries, her urging on the enemy._

_It sent them into a frenzy._

_For many moments, he huddled on the ground, gathering his momentum by leaning on his katana which had been stabbed furiously into the dirt, some time before. Sweat trickled down his face, pooling in the bottom crease of his mask._

_The singing had suddenly ceased._

_No more._

_And the sounds of war returned to him. His stomach turned over and he had the nerve to rise and look around him._

_No movement. _

_No soldiers._

_He could feel the witch standing nearby._

_He could picture her face as she chanted, and gestured and sent her voice thundering in all directions around her._

_Did she smile or dance as she did it?_

_Would she open her mouth to sing her funeral song if he chose to run her through?_

_Murder raged through the blood of the enemy as she sang to them, gave them their hope, their strength. It always signalled disaster and tragedy to him._

_He stood there and called upon the murder left within his own blood, to sniff her clean scent in the air and lop her head off where she stood._

_But strangely, that feeling didn't come. His blood pulsed as it did within a man who had begun to fear his position, perhaps doubting his place in life._

_Before death, do you not usually see a quick succession of memories flash before your eyes before the life slips away from you?_

_The creature saw nothing but steel, crimson pools, unmoving and quivering bodies sprawled in unnatural positions before him, accompanied by the stale stench of nausea and bile._

_"How could this be…everything that mattered to me?"_

_His words are unheard, even to him. He walks forward mechanically, unaware as his hands pluck the sword from the ground and return it to its scabbard._

_It is like he is untouchable in his moment of clarity, but he does not understand it all yet. An eerie sort of stillness follows him and he remains unharmed, unmoved, undisturbed as he approaches the figure ahead._

"His name was Suo…is…was…"

"And this man approached you during the chaos that erupted when you chose to stop singing?"

"Yes…well, he was the first of the enemy lines to come to me. He had no intention of doing away with me,"

"How do you know?"

"Because…because he asked me what I would desire if I ever stopped singing. An enemy, soiled in blood and mayhem and he comes to me and asks me what I desired, at that very moment!"

"This is the man you spoke of before, then,"

"Yes he is. One of the generals had a different heart to heart with me, though…"

"There are still traces of the injury showing through on your face, Shiho…"

"It doesn't matter. Suo spoke to me as if I weren't his enemy. It further added to my confusion about my place in life, as I had thought about it at that time. I just suddenly stopped and my world changed. He changed with it, perhaps. And pushed me along that path,"

"Yes. You could have started singing, alerting your allies. They could have done away with him,"

"A moment of clarity with one understanding person, no matter what sort of weapon he wielded against me, was worth standing there…the thought of being in danger never occurred to me. I just wanted to die,"

"Which is not the worst fate, you thought,"

"Not at all. If my singing was only known to cause strife and disaster to both sides, then I didn't want it to be heard. It took me so long to realize that. So I desired something else, something I was not afraid of,"

"And this man, Suo, did he give you death?"

"No, he's not why I am here. Actually…we…we spoke to each other freely. It was as if there was no war or calamity happening around us. He asked, and I answered. And every time I answered, his essence brightened just a little bit. The face of death that I saw twisting and turning in the fire of his soul was fading and there was no fight to keep it alive,"

"Why did he not kill you, Shiho?"

"I…I don't know…because of what we were doing for each other, perhaps. The way he was entranced with my presence, shocked by my betrayal. Maybe it's simply because he did not view me as a threat anymore. But I loved the way he looked at me. I was no longer a goddess of pain but a…a human girl. My skin didn't crawl with his contempt as I felt his eyes on me,"

"You were not with him for very long…?"

"No…he was a different spirit than the other men he stood with, but he still considered himself _my _enemy. No, he took me back to his superior in utter curiosity, not with any thought of cutting me down or tormenting me. He wanted me to be seen,"

"And you know this? You know he had no desire to kill you?"

"Yes! I know it in my heart. He could have marched me naked in those streets, in iron chains, shamed and humiliated. But instead, he offered himself to me and I was draped on his back as he walked us to his allies and generals. He spoke to me then too. It was the longest walk of my life,"

"Like a dove touching down in a sea of despair. You were the one beautiful thing that came of that war,"

"You are too generous with your words, Hakon. And I do believe you misunderstand,"

"I know beauty when I feel it, Shiho,"

_She was beautiful._

_Cloaked in a pale green robe that clung to her frail figure, she stood with her slender arms crossed and held to her breast, as if she were frightened of the slight breeze brushing past her skin._

_Her head turned all around her as she reacted to the sudden battle cries and pain erupting in the air all around her._

_Had she ever stopped singing to listen to what her songs had drowned out, before?_

_She looked cold, her long, white legs cascading down from a pool of green and amber, ending in two small, and bare feet protruding from two cloth anklets. What set off her appearance was not her dignified posture (and so seemingly out of place) but the brown, chestnut hair that hung down her back and to her sides, draped over two small, white shoulders._

_Her eyes were devoid of any kind of life._

_The creature shivered, but was not frightened. They looked past him, but the way she tilted her head and adjusted her body as if bracing for an attack told him that she was aware of his presence anyway._

_"I don't understand. Why did you stop singing?"_

_She was hardly the witch that they claimed she was. Her body remained still and composed, yet still huddled inward. Her figure against the bleak, grey skies was a merciful one. _

_He couldn't tear his eyes away; he was in awe._

_She was the enemy._

"His general was the one…who sent me to the valkyrie…"

"Did you try to reason with him as you reasoned with Suo?"

"I did not…reason with Suo. He came to me at the most eerie, opportune time. He wanted me to speak so he could reason with _himself_ and the inner turmoil that disturbed him so at the time. I was merely a vessel…"

"In a way, you used each other then. For I know that you did not simply answer his questions and divulge your person just because you were intent on helping him find himself,"

"You are right. I took what I could, from his words. But it was mostly the experience, not his words, that spoke to me the most. Knowing that I led so many of his people to being killed and he did not think of that. He was beyond that. His actions touched me, in a way. But I admit I paid very little attention to him, for my mind was still racing and my soul…it burned for something else other than that place. I was trying not to let such new feelings overwhelm me,"

"Two strangers who unknowingly saved each other. That is what happened,"

"Suo's presence opened the doors for a new sense of enlightenment for me, yes…but I could not return the favour. You're wrong,"

"Do you think Suo continued living even after what he saw of you? He simply pushed his way back into a life of war and longed to raise his blade again and again and again?"

"Why…why would he not? I was some enemy song maiden. I was nothing to him. He only knew my name,"

"Just like you know his, and a few other things as well. You imply that you came away from that era in life- and death- with a new sense of knowing,"

"What do you mean?"

"You say…you realized you were causing too much pain and disruption in the lives of innocents and warriors alike. You say you desired death over a life of causing that pain and disruption, since your songs were not needed for anything else. You say that you cherish a random encounter with a man that was sworn to be your enemy and hired to kill you. But he did not,"

"What are you trying to tell me?"

"I am saying, Shiho, that you took so much away from the last moments of your life and death, much more than you realize. And you are indeed telling me so, but you cannot hear it yourself,"

"I…I am still trying to process everything. But that does not mean that man…Suo, felt the same way…"

"He has his demons too. And maybe you should try to register the fact that the situation was not just about you, but about him too. Or something much, much greater. A force that chose you both, to experience,"

"Are you angry with me, Hakon?"

"No Shiho. Nothing you could say could make me angry,"

"Then tell me…what did Suo feel after I killed?"

"Afraid,"

"Afraid of what?"

"Afraid of the way he had lived his life and strayed from the noble duty he swore to,"

"Was he afraid…of me?"

"No, Shiho. His thoughts of you were not tainted by fright,"

"His thoughts of me…"

"When you were struck down, Suo's hesitation turned into acceptance. A sad sort of acceptance. It made him see his allies and himself as true monsters, and not men behind a grim reaper mask,"

"But why? Why was he there if he so despised war? And hurt? And suffering?"

"Because so many deviate from their original path. They get so clouded with trivial, ungodly ideals that hide their true intentions, no matter how noble and just those intentions are. This is the way of mortals,"

"No! It is not the way…"

"It is so. I have seen too much to think otherwise,"

"And you…you have seen me as well? Is this why you know of Suo's thoughts after I left that, that world? Because you have seen me before?"

"Yes, Shiho,"

"Then why did you ask me so many questions? Why did you make it seem as if you knew nothing…?"

"I wanted you to confront the truth. Not with me guiding you along to see what you should accept, but for you to tell me what you _have _accepted. And what you do know about yourself, up to this point,"

"How do you know so much?"

"A mortal's life is open for viewing to anyone in Asgard,"

"But why me? Why Suo? Did you force us to meet?"

"No,"

"Tell me the truth!"

"Only if you will recognize it,"

"Stop speaking in riddles, to me!"

"Shiho, do not be angry. I have not pried into your life and toyed with you, if that is what you're thinking,"

"You already know what I'm thinking! Stop pretending otherwise!"

"You wear your emotions so freely on your face…I would not have to tune into your mind to know what you are thinking…"

"Hakon…"

"Do you know the way to Valhalla?"

"..w-what?"

"Valhalla,"

"Odin's hall…"

"Yes. You need to go there,"

"Now?"

"Yes, Shiho. I…I feel a new presence there, waiting for you…"


	7. Give my soul up to the Inferno's embrace

My heart is beating wildly, as if it were pushing to escape the confines of my chest.

I feel as if there is no air circulating throughout my body as I continuously pause and gasp, my mouth agape and frozen.

My eyes are wide and unseeing. My face feels sluggish and I think it's because I am not used to relying on expressions to convey my words or thoughts at the time.

Especially around my eyes. I have no use for them.

But now they are open and I blink several times in a moment for there is wind rushing past my face as I run. Actually, I am creating that force. Here, there's no wind at all.

My bare feet crash against the marble floor. I hear myself going _slap, slap, slap_ as I past curious, grey on-lookers. I pull my robes closer to my breast.

Suo…

Suo!

Odin's hall is so daunting, so spacious and elegant.

Its corridors are also quite long, but then again, I slipped in from the back of the palace.

Run straight ahead.

It is as if…I am leaving everything behind as I pass every door. I reflect upon this half-heartedly and try to smile.

There is a presence before me, it is as if there is a great, thick wisp of smoke with an unearthly face trapped within it. The first time I was aware of that face, it was twisting and turning with great strength and stupor; now it remains still within the flames all around it. The face remains still. It is trapped, I realized. It is there, but unmoving in that essence.

I hear my name escape from his lips in a great, heaved and sigh of disbelief.

_Shiho…_

It is much too low for anyone to hear. But it flows past my skin and dances around my head before registering into my brain, in less than a second. Being blessed without sight left me with a great heightened control over my other senses.

I slow and my feet pad softly against the floor in an effort to stop. My arms outstretch and wrap around the physical form of the last man I knew before my death.

"Suo!"

"Shiho…!"

My arms are now cradled around his thick frame; my fingers slither into coarse hair and hold tight. It is difficult to press myself against his bulky figure and the fear of being repelled suddenly floods through me and I move to step away.

_No…_

Strong hands, pushing against the small of my back and my face is pressed against a sheet of armor. Without thinking of the color of this armor, I kiss it over and over, heaving and trembling against it, pulling my hands down and outstretching my palms upon it. I feel as if my hands can be lost forever in this moment, slowly caressing the interlocking metal plates; the symbolic barrier that keeps me from hearing the heartbeat of this man.

Something has gently touched my forehead and the slight tingling above my brows leads me to believe his face is pressed to mine…his skin burns against mine, and it feels rough, sort of dewy.

Now there is a moment that I feel as if my heart is going to burst…Oh!

It is as if…

It is as if he is pushing along at my face, in a tender sort of way, urging me to turn my cheek to him. My breast is heaving and my entire frame quakes because my heart is hammering at an unbelievable pace. My knees are quivering at the thought of him knowing…

And then he is standing in front of me. His hands are not pulling me towards him, and my eyelashes no longer flutter against his skin. My hands fall from his armor and we stand before each other; silent.

You are too far away…

I stand in stunned silence.

You are over before we have even begun…

Did I simply dream it?

In a daze of vulnerability?

"Suo…"

His essence is alight and crackling like wild fire. I am unsure of why it burns in such a frenzy…I think that perhaps, my appearance makes it move like it does.

"I did not know that you were here…"

I link my fingers behind my back and step one foot to the side of the other. The way his essence moves with me lets me see that we are circling cautiously, observing each other. I am too afraid to cross the threshold now.

I feel his eyes bore into me.

They are steady, yet soft. They do not flicker like the eyes of the creature who gazed upon me once in the village of Hai-Lan.

His hands are empty, I know. I wonder where he laid his mask to rest…

"The valkyrie did not tell you?" I manage to say, but my voice betrays my fright. Still, we are moving.

"I did not ask…" he says, quietly.

My heart contracts, wounded. My arms fall to my side and I remain still.

So does he.

"I did not ask," his voice continues, "because I had hoped that the gods had far greater intentions for you…"

My body rolls and softens and I merely blink in astonishment.

I feel as if new growths to old wounds are slowly being pried back and then with the ending of his last words, it is as if they had never opened again.

"You…you did?"

His essence coasts forward slowly, calmly. I remain still and turn my face up towards what I believe are the pinnacles of his physical form.

His eyes never move from my face.

Light wisps of my hair softly flutter in the air from the breath that escapes from his lips. He is closer, now.

My eyes remain open and wide, unseeing, and in a move of pure awkwardness and humanity, I stumble forward, lowering my face in hesitation and grasp wildly for the air in front of me.

Suo's hands rest firmly upon my waist and he snaps my body back up in a rough sort of way and I whimper and press my cheek to his breastplate again. There is no sound.

It all happens at once, though!

I slump against him in exhaustion…or is it because of something else? One hand leaves my body and then suddenly, I quiver against the feel of it against my face, so hard and calloused and then, in less the time it takes for me to feel my skin erupt in a hazy sort of hotness, his mouth is pushed against mine gently, unmoving.

The moment is lasting…one moment, then two…

Or is it minutes?

His entire being surrounds me! His essence, it is all that I know! The face has been extinguished, and the smoke engulfs me, leaping around me into flames as he cradles me in a sort of furious, desperate embrace. My skin is burning and my lips fight to turn upward, to smile if they weren't so taken by his. It is a quiet, yet intense, frenzied feeling that pushes downwards throughout my entire body and seemingly propels me into the air with him and I feel a sudden desire to never, never let go.

And from my body erupts this deep, earthly rumble and I almost want to stop to pay attention to what it is trying to say…but the ache in my chest tells me that this once terrible melody is merely the union of two heartbeats. It fills me, and it fills him, and it serenades the most perfect moment that I will ever know.


	8. Surely, thou can feel it

_Springtime for a day…_

My body is alive with the humming of Asgard's sacred beings, singing in the distance.

Their voices never cease to travel through the air and take root in my very soul..

Today though, they sound so much closer and delicate, and I know this is because they are singing just for me.

There is always a part of me now, that moves with them; my heart beats to their rhythms.

It is as if their songs are beings with their own form of thought, existing solely to dance around my head and stroke their soft fingers against my throat, pulling and grasping until that familiar lump rises and I feel my own harmonies mixing with theirs.

How odd it is to sing and to not prick my ears up in attention waiting for the ominous cry of death followed by the march of heavy feet fleeing back into their strongholds. Away from the surge of strife I managed to create!

"Stop thinking."

I turn my empty eyes to him. How lovely his essence burns…it flickers so quickly when he smiles.

"I am not thinking." I say to him quietly, but I hear the humorous lilt in my voice and a laugh escapes my lips.

"Shiho, your eyes tell me otherwise." His voice is playful, soft. Very unlike the voice I heard in the midst of war. I shudder inwardly, suddenly chilled. His hand slips across my back, around my neck. I lean into his side, intrigued.

"And what do they tell you…?"

"You don't even realize it, do you?" He says softly, and touches the side of his forehead to mine. I imagine us, sitting huddled together in the grass, shoulders pressed together, our heads lowered as we produce rushed, breathy whispers.

Why must I shudder so much? I haven't stopped ever since I felt him…it is like a part of him has settled in my stomach and is expanding outward throughout my entire body. The centre of my being is shuddering in delight, and it causes me to feel weak. I lightly pull my shoulder apart from his in fear that he'll notice just how strong these tremors are.

"I have never given it much thought…" I say a bit too firmly, determined to ignore the undertow that has swept over me, "What does it look like when I do this?"

The skin numbs as his fingertips lightly stroke the decline of my rigid shoulder down to the side of my neck. He does this gradually, very slowly and it feels as if he is trailing a feather back and forth. It sends a tingle down my spine and I press my shoulder to my ear unconsciously, another laugh bursting forth from my lips.

I have lived without sight and touch for my entire life…how delirious this abandon is! It is pulling me further away from the world that was death and mayhem and duty. Is this truly how some people have lived?

I turn my body away and Suo's hand falls from my skin to the grass behind me. We are no longer touching.

The harmonies have been quieted.

"What…do they look like?" I put the back of my hand to my mouth to silence myself but it is too late.

"Like the mornings, when they have no sun." He replies so suddenly.

I gasp and fold my hands together against my breast.

"What…?"

"You are like an overcast sky…your eyes…you can see the sun in them, just barely, in moments when you are almost without inhibition and doubt. It is when you want to believe and feel new things that you've only brushed against in the visions you received when you sang to those soldiers…you call upon those moments, and your eyes, they sparkle and the clouds move to expose what is brilliant and shining underneath…"

_Suo…your voice is so steady and confident…is this really what you see, when I cannot?_

His voice isn't so crisp and sharp as it was when I first heard it. It is deep, and rich with emotion. His voice is renewed, and it fills me and awakens whatever sort of bravado I acquired whilst leading men to their doom.

"Suo, no one has ever said this to me before!" I cry to him, turning back. His essence dims and then pulses with a sudden valor. I smile and know that his cheeks could be turning crimson as I sit up and tuck my legs underneath me, my hands resting gently on my thighs.

"No one has ever saved me before," His tone is lowered now, no longer containing that tenderness that made my heart swell. I am very shy now, and sink my bottom onto the grass, weaving my fingers through it. I turn my face in the direction that I believe the melodies drift from in Folkvang.

"I've been thinking about it ever since you…when you were…"

I choose not to say anything. I sense him leaning forward, his legs bent and crossed against him, large, calloused hands set upon his knees. He is staring into the distance.

It is not about love now, Shiho! Listen to his story.

"I'm very grateful to you, song maiden…"and I feel the roughness of his palm against my hand. It does not move.

"What has been haunting you?" I ask him quietly, intently. His essence slows and starts churning in a thick, downward direction and for a fleeting instant, I see the ghoulish smile of a face within.

"There is just so much that the valkyrie could not cleanse from this body…to be honest, Shiho, I'm not sure what I have learned in my time spent apart from the mortal realm."

I nod and feel a pang of hurt flow through my chest. Suo, we are kindred spirits, you and I…

"We were never given any direction…Suo, do we even really know what we are trying to make right?"

I feel so sluggish now, I do not feel complete anymore. I feel as if I have spent not even one day in Freya's world. An old wound begins to gnaw at the inside of my stomach, fighting to open itself once more.

I have learned so much by walking these grounds, by speaking to Hakon, by revisiting my past again and again and again. And now, all those moments are snuffed out like a candle in the breeze, blown towards enlightenments and heavens I can never aspire to fly towards.

Why Suo…? Why do I pretend as if I have learned nothing? Is it because you haven't yet?

His essence is frozen and then it whirls upwards and thins, and that damned face peers at me through the fog…it is dangerously close. My heart swells and I slump forward clumsily, sinking my fingers into his tunic and pitching head-first into his lap. Mumbling an apology, I quickly pull myself back, and grope in front of me, with shaking hands.

"Shiho, Shiho what's wrong…" his voice, concerned. His hands find mine and slowly pull me to his chest, between those strong legs of his. He is cradling me and I thrust my nose into the base of his neck (where his heart beat feels hot and steady) where he plants firm kisses into my hair. His movements have a sad sort of desperation driving them and I want to promise never to speak of his life as a samurai again…lest I see that face…

Tears escape from my dead eyes. I am overcome with being with him again; I do not care for your past, Suo! It means nothing to me, what you've done…I just want to be here…please Suo, can't I just hold you in silence?

Of course not…

"I'm not leaving again. It will take so long to forget the hell of picking you up out of the dirt and having my unwavering loyalty to blood die with you,"

"Please…please, don't," I hear myself saying, my lips pressed to his skin, leaving soft wet spots against his neck. I taste the salt of my tears flowing into my kisses.

We sit like that, for a very long time.

My thin frame is quivering so hard against my Suo, my red swordsman! And his arms, wrapped so tightly and carefully as I am slumped against him, they don't lose their strength.

"I'm sorry, Suo…" I whisper softly into him, as I feel the warmth of the sun slip away from us, making way for the gradual awakening of the night.

"If anything, it is I who should apologize to you," his voice is mixed with hurt, but he feigns bravery for the woman in his arms, I know.

I raise my face to his and sit up, blinking sadly. "No, it is because I am thinking of other things when you wish to speak freely of your pain,"

A small laugh rises from his throat, barely audible. His essence feels warm and engulfs me, seeps into my skin like a gentle, summer wind.

"I love you."

"I love you, too." Without hesitation.

We settle into silence after this, and I press my back against him, feeling his arms snake around my waist. It is an embrace of protection. Even when the sun sets in Asgard, it is never cold. Suo mistakes my gentle shuddering for one of discomfort though, and holds me tighter.


	9. Hark! It is an omen!

Suo has been by my side since he was released by the Valkyrie. His official anchor in Asgard is to Valhalla, Odin's Hall. However, his chambers have remained empty for the many days and nights that he has spent in Freya's domain, my new world.

Suo no longer walks towards me, hindered by the bulk and confinement; instead, his steps are quick and his stride long and powerful. I always find my fingers unconsciously caressing at the weave of his light tunic, abrasive and simplistic. It is very unlike the cold and smooth embroidery and crevasses that adorned his monster's shell, an exterior that imprisons many thousands of men fighting in the world of Midgard below.

His frame is sturdy and thick, and my face never fails to burn with shyness and awe when he wraps his powerful arms around me from behind and pulls me close to him, lips parted against my hair as he murmurs a good morning. To feel no armoured resistance between my shoulder blades and his chest is an indescribable pleasure.

I knew those days wouldn't last forever.

See my Suo, taking his time to climb the green hills leading to my chambers, his head listless and down, like an overworked beast of burden, sloughing his way through a terrain that offers no obstacle or difficulties.

I can feel you Suo…why do you tread as if you are unseeing? Your essence is alight with misery…

He stops under the archway, and stands as if to block my way to the outside. His presence is a brooding, foreboding one and it is unlike the man I have gotten to know and love.

"What is it, Suo…?" I leap to his side, taking one of his big hands in mine. I look up and peer into his eyes. His essence does not change.

"Shiho…I know we've been together for so long now…"

His other hand presses down upon mine, comforting and warm. I start to tremble and my heart begins to ache with fear.

"You are leaving…"

"No," his voice strong and commanding, but lowered only for me, "I am not leaving. I am not going anywhere. But I've neglected simple duties and tasks that I must attend to now, out of respect for Lord Odin, and I know the gods are tiring of my tardiness,"

A pang of jealousy shoots through my chest and my eyebrows move together in a disappointed frown. My lips part to comment, but I silence myself, knowing full well that any disrespect may anger my superiors. I am sure they can listen.

"Our days will have to be cut short, Shiho, but I will be with you as much as I am allowed to be,"

I slide my hands out from under his and let them drop slowly to my side. I turn my back to him and close my eyes, feeling the familiar throb in my temples that accompanies my tears.

"Please…" He is closer to me now, his hands on my shoulders, and he whispers to me. I press my fingertips to my mouth to steady my quivering lips and feel the drops of wetness snake down my cheeks.

"You don't have to…" I am murmuring, shaking my head.

"Yes, I do," he answers almost instantly, and I turn back to him quickly and he seems surprised.

"Because you are ordered to return?"

He is hesitant now, drawn back.

"Yes…because I am ordered to return. Remember Shiho, I was taken here in the first place to assist in preparation for Ragnarok,"

My eyes are open now and tears fall freely, but they are miniscule, unnoticed against my hot skin. My hands have curled into fists, and I draw my robes close to my breast.

"Yes, and I am not welcome to participate because I am no warrior," I hurl at him, my voice breaking.

"Freya has other plans for you," he answers, and moves to embrace me, but I step back from him, a dance of coldness.

"A plan that is largely unimportant to your duties and tasks, Suo. Must I wait here day after day for you to lay down your sword and wash your hands clean of war?"

My words are heightened with a crazed intensity that suddenly flows throughout my body. I know his silence is one of shame and hurt. I take advantage of his hesitance.

"Do you know what you have done to me?" I am shrieking, bending forward and punctuating my words with hysterical sobs and a sudden loss of control, "You watched me die! You came to me before I was meant to receive that blade and you changed me! You set me in motion Suo, and don't deny it! You freed me from that limbo, of uncertainty and death, and I will not stand before you and allow myself to…to be stripped of you again! I want you to tell me my place in this world!!!"

"I'm not leaving you, Shiho!" he is crying back, and the room is swirling now, his essence is maddening and flying all around me, I can't see where it begins. We are speaking to each other harshly, our feelings hurt and our hearts broken and deep down inside of the union of our souls that spills out of even this chaos, there is nothing more real than the simultaneous pulses emanating from our bodies.

Yes, our hearts even beat as one, Suo.

"I have to go to Valhalla!" he turns, and his words are thrust over a shoulder and through clenched teeth. His eyes I know, are glassy, and his voice betrays how upset he is.

I run to him and grab his hands from behind and press my forehead to his back.

"Please…just…don't forget me. I don't want to lose you for a second time, I…I can't bear it…" I whisper to him as I nuzzle my face into the thick lining of his tunic. It is rough against my skin and I sigh deeply.

"Never," the word comes out of his throat, and spoken with a darkness I had not heard of since Hai-Lan. It frightens me.

"Never, will I forget you!" He yells and turns, grabbing my waist in one quick motion in which I scream, and my arms are flung around his neck, my feet dangling around behind me, my face against his shoulder.

Oh, Suo…how powerful you feel against this frail body of mine. After many seconds of sobbing, he gently places me in front of him again, pressing a hand between his two palms. I imagine him to be a gallant knight swearing loyalty to his princess of the night, as he kneels.

"I will come to you as often as I can. I will not be lost in a sea of blood, not ever again. I am staying in Asgard, my lovely Shiho, and although I have responsibilities, you are the force that drives this body. Please wait for me,"

His words are so soft and gentle, spoken with such an air of intensity that I feel delirious as they nestle against my ears, taking shape with the melodies that suddenly dance around the place where we stand.

I am afraid, Suo, but you have silenced the madness behind being afraid.

He rises.

"I will come for you," he says, kissing my hands and softly placing them by my side again.

"I will wait…" I reply, desperation and longing surging through my voice. He hesitates because he hears it too, and turns. Stops. And then keeps going.

The melodies are quiet now, allowing me time to mourn his loss. I feel as if Suo is walking out of my life, rather than through the door.

In here, in my chambers, I stand alone. For one small fragment of time, I stand alone in Asgard. Even its numerous entities have turned their backs to me, un-listening. I draw my robes closer to me, feeling a sudden frost bite against my skin.

Loneliness.

I am not quite sure how long I am going to remain unmoving. And then there is a visitor to greet me, stealing in noiselessly. I have become accustomed to the strange warm sensation I feel when I am with him, and he knows that he can no longer surprise me.

"Do the gods ever feel lonely, Hakon?" The words fall mechanically from my lips and his voice replies and fails to pierce the stupor I have fallen in.

"Everyone gets lonely, that is why Asgard is the glorious, bustling world that it is," are the words I hear after a moment or two of trying to understand.

"Is that why Odin commands the presence of so many warriors, in Valhalla? Is it because he is lonely?"

"Who knows why Lord Odin chooses so many at his side," Hakon whispers, and I realize he is staring straight ahead, unseeing, as if in a stupor himself. I tilt my head to him trying to tune into the subtle differences he displays now compared to his former self.

Is there no consistency in this place?

"He took my Suo away,"

"I can see that you are angry about that," his voice is clear now, eloquent and refined and beautiful, and he turns to me again, facing me, studying me.

I bow my head to him, a flicker of shame running through me.

"You will not get punished for it, Shiho. You're a woman in love, and surely, Lord Odin understands that,"

_Does he? Does love exist in Asgard?_

Hakon steps closer; he is looking at me intently. Do you mean to answer my private thoughts, in that magical, strange way that you do?

He decides against it and moves past me, looking around at the walls.

"I know it comes as a shock to you, to be without Suo. The two of you have been inseparable. I know amends were beginning to be made, and the responsibilities delegated to him interrupt that quietness that became your world for the last many moons. Suo was chosen by Lenneth Valkyrie for a reason, Shiho, and that is why he must leave you now,"

"He won't leave," my voice, low and threatening. The tone surprises me and humbles me; it is very unlike anything I have sung before, so I pursue something new.

"Why was I chosen then, Hakon?"

A soft chuckle escapes his lips and he steps up to me. His essence is whirling round and round, a funnel of gentle smoke. He stands closer to me than he's ever been, and when he opens his mouth to speak, I feel his breath on my face. I close my eyes and decide that my former conclusions drawn about him were wrong; Hakon stands barely to my height. A humanistic shape begins to form in his essence and then dissipates as quickly as it began. My longing for Suo is quieted into intrigue about the man who stands before me.

What he answers with is nothing like I expected.

"Do you want to know what red looks like…?"

Silence.

I imagine us standing face to face, just mere inches between us, my empty eyes rolling towards the ceiling, to the floor and then straight ahead. I blink. Hakon waits patiently, but I have shattered my earthly bonds and have risen out of that room, out of my body and into the golden sunlight bathing Asgard with its morning glory.

I imagine myself to have said yes, far down below.


End file.
